Just the Two of Us
by starrgirl22
Summary: Rachel is moving to Las Vegas leaving Grace in Hawaii with Danny. This will be a collection of short stories about the two of them.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This story is an idea that has been floating around in the far reaches of my brain for a while. As I said in the summary it is about Danny and Grace and what life could be like for them if Rachel moved to Las Vegas. Most of it is going to be fluff. Also as of right now each chapter is going to be it's own short story. So enjoy and I hope you like it._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

Danny stood a few feet back watching the exchange between his daughter and ex wife. His hands were stuffed into his pockets. People were bustling all around them. Some were in a hurry to catch their flights. Some just arriving and receiving lais from native greeters. Danny's trained focus remained on his daughter.

Grace had her arms wrapped around her mother. Rachel had one arm around Grace, an overstuffed bag over her shoulder, and one hand on the handle of an umbrella stroller. Danny did not approach until he saw mother and daughter begin to pull apart. Grace looked up at her mother with tears in her eyes as she pulled away.

"I'll see you in a few weeks sweetheart," Rachel promised as she reached out and stroked her cheek.

Grace rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her mother once again. Rachel looked up at Danny with longing in her eyes. He had taken her to court when the move to Las Vegas had come about and won shared custody of their daughter. Grace could not leave Hawaii whether permanently or temporarily without both her parents being in agreeance about it. In the end Rachel had chosen to follow Stan to Las Vegas. Mostly for Charlie's sake. Stan was his father and the pair were trying hard to make their marriage work for him.

Danny locked eyes with his ex wife. At one point in his life the look on Rachel's face could have made Danny change his mind about anything. Now he was finding it easier and easier to tell her no. And there was no question about what his final decision was about Grace moving with her mother. His daughter was the most important thing in his life and with Rachel's decision leave her care would be solely his responsibility.

"Call when you land," Danny said.

Rachel gave her daughter one final squeeze and kissed the top of her head. Grace pulled back, bent down, and gave her brother a hug and kiss. Grace then stood and backed away until she felt her father's warm torso behind her back. He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I love you so much sweetheart," Rachel said not even trying to hold back her tears, "I'll see you in a few weeks."

"Love you too," Grace choked out.

Rachel stared at her little girl for a moment longer, turned, and started pushing Charlie's stroller towards the terminal. Danny and Grace watched her disappear into the crowded airport. In less than 60 seconds Rachel was gone and it was just the two of them.

Grace turned and wrapped her arms around Danny's middle. Still Danny's focus remained on his daughter. For a few moments Danny began to doubt if he had made the right decision in contesting the custody. He hated seeing his little girl cry, but he knew he would hate it even more if he were putting her on this plane too.

"I love you Danno," came Grace's muffled voice.

"You gonna be okay, Monkey?" Danny asked bringing his face down right next to her head.

Grace pulled her head back and looked up at her father. Tears were coming down her cheeks. Danny reached into his pocket and took out a package of tissues. He pulled some out and wiped her damp face clean. Grace was still sniffling, but was trying to calm herself down.

"Ready to go?" Danny asked taking her hand and walking to the nearest trash can.

Grace nodded her head as he threw the used tissues away.

The pair headed for the parking garage. They walked in silence through the noise and crowd of the airport. Danny kept glancing at his daughter so grateful that she wasn't leaving too. The noise died down some as they entered the garage. Danny fished his keys from his pocket and headed in the direction of the Camaro.

Another glance down at Grace and Danny saw once again tears streaming down on either side of her face as well as the strain of trying so hard not to cry. Danny stopped and pulled Grace into a hug.

"Don't keep it inside, baby, just let it out," he soothed as he stroked her head.

Grace let out a loud sob and gulped at the same time. It caused a few passersby to take notice. Danny kept Grace wrapped securely in his embrace. He laid his cheek on the top of her head and rocked her back and forth. Grace continued to cry. Her tears soaked into Danny's already damp shirt.

"I know it's not easy baby especially when you since you had to do this once before," Danny said against the top of her head.

Grace moved her head so she was looking up at her dad. He was talking about when they had said goodbye at the Newark Airport a few years earlier. It had only been temporary, but she remembered crying just as hard if not harder as she held onto her mother's hand and left Danno by himself.

"I don't like saying goodbye," she said as best she could through her tears.

"I know, but it's not a forever goodbye, just like before. Like mom said she'll see you in a couple of weeks."

One thing Danny and Rachel had agreed on was that neither wanted Grace to fly by herself for visits until she was a little older. Rachel would travel back and forth for shorter visits and would fly out and travel with Grace when a longer visit in Vegas was scheduled. Danny would fly out and be with her during the return trip.

Not everything about this arrangement was set in stone yet. It was best for all parties involved to go with the flow and let the chips fall as they may.

"Plus we've got that 'Skip' thingy on the laptop and 'Facing Time' as well. You'll still get to see Mom, Charlie, and Stan."

Grace looked up at Danny with a confused look on her tear streaked face.

"Danno, I think you mean Skype and Facetime," Grace corrected.

The little girl let out a giggle at her father's mistake. Danny smiled down at Grace and squeezed her a little tighter.

The tissues then came out once again and Grace dried her face. Danny took her hand once more and continued the last few feet to the car. He opened the door for her and she climbed into the passenger seat. The detective smiled as he closed it and walked around to the other side. As he got in he noticed that the only signs left of Grace's breakdown were her puffy eyes and red splotched face.

"I guess it's just the two of us for now," she said reaching over and put her hand on top of his.

Danny had started the car and his hand was resting on the gear shift. His eyes met hers and he lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. Danny put the car into reverse and backed up. Grace moved her hand to the radio and began searching for a music station to listen to. As he drove the Camaro towards the exit a warm feeling spread through his insides. His daughter was there with him. They were together, and for the first time in several years she would be living primarily with him.

Danny had to admit there were parts about this arrangement that made him nervous. Grace was turning 11 this year. As much as he didn't want to admit it she was a preteen. His little girl was growing up and he hoped he'd have the wisdom and insights to help her get through these next few years as smoothly as possible.

The Camaro moved down the highway. Danny glanced quickly at his baby girl as she sang along to the unfamiliar song coming out of the speakers. His hand found its way to her knee and squeezed it. She looked over at him and smiled.

"_Yup,_" Danny thought to himself, "_Just the two of us._"

_A/N: I decided to use the show's timeline instead of the one I created with Time Moves On and Firewalls and Passwords. Pretty much the only difference is that I gave Danny full custody where as on the show he has joint custody. I figure this is happening around the beginning of season 4. (Which I am super excited for and can't wait for it to start) These short stories are going to be about life for Danny and Grace outside of 5-0. That's not to say that other characters won't make appearances from time to time as well as my O/C Gerri from the stories mentioned above. You'll see at least Steve in the next chapter/short story. I am also not going to post regularly for this story. I plan to write and post other stories as well. Although chapter 2 will hopefully be out later this week. Thanks for reading and please review._


	2. Cook' em Danno

_A/N: In my opinion if Grace ended up living with Danny the topic approached in this story would have to come up and no Danny is not going to have "The Talk" with Grace although that might end up being a future chapter. After all she is getting older and I think he is going to need to tell her more than "Boys are evil." Anyways enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

Cook' em Danno

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Danny woke with a start as the loud noise blasted through his ear drums. Tangled in his sheets he fell off the edge of his bed. It was not a soft landing although the floor was carpeted. His heart beat rapidly from the being woken so suddenly and the shock of falling out of bed. The obnoxious beeping sound continued to echo through the apartment. Danny quickly stood and headed for the door. His foot was still tangled in a sheet causing him to stumble and almost fall again. The detective regained his balance and kicked the evil sheet away at the same time.

Danny opened his door and the faint smell of smoke hit him. Wearing only his boxers and a t-shirt he bolted down the hallway heading for the kitchen. He stubbed his toe on one of Grace's books as he ran. Danny couldn't keep himself cursing and vowed if he tripped, or fell over anything else he was going to to throw that object out the window.

Danny finally made it to the entrance of the kitchen and saw several things at once. Smoke was rising off the stove and quickly forming a cloud on the ceiling. Grace's large scared brown eyes looked from the ceiling to Danny. She was standing on a chair in the middle of the room with a broom in her hand. She had been trying to turn off the smoke detector.

At that moment the smoke on the stove erupted into flames.

"Whoa," said Danny rushing to the sink and pulling out the fire extinguisher from underneath.

Within seconds the burning mess on the stove was smothered in thick white dust. Danny quickly turned the burners to off.

Grace had climbed off the chair and backed herself into a corner. Her hands covered her ears trying to block out the piercing noise. The smoke on the ceiling was continuing to make the detector scream out its warning.

Danny stood on the chair, reached up, and pushed the little red button. The ear splitting annoyance immediately stopped, and Danny jumped down and looked around the kitchen. Globs of unrecognizable lumps were on the stove. Some were in two cooking pans, but most of it was on the surface and in the burners. Not to mention that the lumps also had a light dusting courtesy of the fire extinguisher. Egg shells along with puddles of the raw insides scattered the counter top. This was mixed with flour, sugar, and some other ingredients. A mixing bowl was next to the stove and it looked like Grace had attempted to combine said ingredients. It ran down the sides and it was obvious to Danny that Grace had spilled quite a bit of it as she tried to get the mixture from the bowl to the pans.

Danny looked from the mess on the stove to the mess that was all over his daughter. Grace slowly took her hands away from the side of her head. Her gaze met with Danny's. Smears of similar looking lumps were all up and down the apron that Grace wore as well as on her pajamas. Her hands left dry and wet powder on the sides of her head and in her hair.

Danny was taking in huge gulps of air from his race into the kitchen and from dealing with the fire and smoke detector.

"What happe-," he started.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The detector started up once again.

"Son of a. . ." Danny started to say as he got back on the chair.

This time he pulled the cover off and removed the battery. Danny climbed down and tossed it on the table. He then opened the window above the sink.

"Are you okay?" Danny asked turning his attention back to his daughter.

"I burned my hand," Grace said quietly.

Danny walked over holding out his own hand to her. Grace placed her injured hand into his. Danny examined it briefly and led her to the bathroom. He found his first aid kit and the burn ointment. He applied the gel to the red mark on the side of her hand.

"I'm sorry Danno," Grace said as he began wrapping her hand in a bandage, "I was trying to make breakfast."

"Can I ask what was wrong with the cereal that was up in the cupboard or the left overs that are in the fridge?"

"I wanted pancakes for breakfast," she said looking down at her now bandaged hand, "I wanted to surprise you."

"Mission accomplished, babe," Danny said and pointed to the shower. "You . . .in . . .now, and I am going to start in the kitchen."

"I'm sorry," Grace said as Danny started to shut the door.

"I know babe," Danny answered back.

H50

"Monkey, the next time you want something just come and ask and I'll-"

"You'll make it for me?" Grace interrupted with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

The pair had a stare down for a minute. It was no secret that Danny wasn't much of a cook. That hadn't been an issue when Grace was only with him for 48 hours at a time. She used to look forward to pizza and other types of take out with Danno. Now that she was living with him full time it was different.

"I'm tired of eating take out and things that only come out of boxes," Grace said her voice rising a little, "I saw on the Food Network one of the chefs talking about a simple pancake recipe so I looked it up and tried it."

"Baby, nothing is ever simple on the Food Network unless you have time to do nothing but cook. But I see what you mean, however, next time ask and I don't want you using the stove again without me or another adult present. Understood?" he said using his stern dad voice that he rarely used with his daughter.

Grace rubbed her bandaged hand and nodded.

"So what are we going to do about it?" she asked staring at her father once again with her large brown eyes.

H50

"Hey, Steve," Danny said poking his head through the open office door. Steve looked up from his computer at his partner.

"You taking off already?" Steve asked seeing Danny with his keys in his hand as well as file folder with a few papers inside.

Danny nodded.

"I'm picking up Grace from her cheer practice and then she and I have a thing we are going to do. So I'll see you in the morning."

Danny turned to go and hoped that Steve wouldn't pry at usual.

"Danny, wait up," Steve said getting up and following.

Danny sped up trying to make it to the door and out, but Steve cut him off.

"What thing?" the SEAL asked curious and demanding as usual.

"Just a thing that Grace and I are doing together," Danny said his voice rising in frustration, "Geez Steve, why do you have to know every stinkin'  
thing I do outside of this office?"

"I don't want to know everything you do," Steve corrected, "Just this."

Danny took in an exasperated breath which caused his grip on the file folder to loosen. Several papers spilled out and onto the floor. Both men bent down to pick them up.

"Steve you don't need to-," Danny started as say as Steve picked up a paper that looked like an application of some kind.

Danny reached for it, and Steve pulled it back from him causing the detective to lose and have to refind his balance. This gave Steve the chance to read the title at the top. Steve's expression changed from curiosity to amusement.

Both men got to their feet.

"You and Gracie are taking a cooking class?" he asked his voice teasing Danny.

Danny let out a groan knowing that Steve wasn't going to let him hear the end of this one.

"Yes, Steven, alright, Grace and I are taking a cooking class together," the flustered detective said snatching the paper from his partner.

"Mommy and Me Cooking?" Steve asked still smiling.

"That's just the name of the class and it said at the end of the description 'Dads Welcome'."

"Might I ask what brought all this on?" Steve asked starting to laugh a bit.

"Two Saturdays ago Grace nearly burned down the kitchen trying to make breakfast. She was tired of take out and cereal so she attempted to make pancakes. We discussed what we could do about it, did a little research online, and-"

"Correction," Steve interrupted, "I am willing to bet that Gracie did most of the research."

The same teasing smile crossed Steve's lips as he spoke. Danny chose to ignore it and continue.

"Anyway we found a local public school district that offers night classes so we signed up and our first one is tonight."

"You don't need to take a class to learn how to cook. I could teach you," Steve said with a serious voice.

It was Danny's turn to laugh now.

"Sorry, but heating up an MRE is not cooking," Danny said as he put everything back into his folder.

"You don't heat an MRE. You just open and eat," Steve said.

The detective turned and glanced at the clock.

"So. . .Mother. . .do I have your permission to leave?"

Steve smiled at his partner's sarcasm and moved out of the way. Danny opened the glass door and headed for the elevator.

"Hey, Danny, I'm coming to your place for dinner this weekend," Steve called after him.

Danny almost flipped him the bird, but chose to ignore him.

H50

Danny had hold of Grace's hand as they searched the unfamiliar building for the kitchen classroom. Danny was feeling more and more nervous as they finally found the right corridor.

"You know, Monkey, maybe we don't need to take this class," Danny said stopping just outside the door.

"Danno, you promised," Grace said pulling on his hand.

Reluctantly, Danny entered the room and his worst fear was confirmed. He was the only man in the room. In fact he was the only one of the male gender in room. Grace squeezed his hand and led him to a work station. Danny felt like every eye in the room was watching him. He prayed for an earthquake, tsunami, or any kind of natural disaster to come along and get him out of this. Thank heavens the class started a few minutes later and all eyes turned from Danny to the instructor.

Several papers were passed out including a schedule of what would be done at each class. It looked like they would be making two items each time. One that would need to be baked and one that would not. Tonight's agenda would be pumpkin bread and ideas for different fruit and vegetable salads. Danny didn't think that salad sounded like cooking, but he decided that he wasn't going to argue or rock the boat.

The instructor did a double take as she passed by Grace and Danny. The detective figured that no dads had ever taken this class before despite the invitation he had seen. He hoped that the anomaly of him being there would pass soon.

The class continued on with measuring, mixing, and pouring the ingredients.

The sound of occasional giggling could be heard all around the pair. Danny got the feeling they were giggling at him. Of course he couldn't blame them. He looked like a schmuck in the lavender apron that Grace had found for him under their counter. Although it was either lavender or a floral pattern. Danny decided that he would need to purchase his own apron for the next class.

As Danny and Grace poured their batter into the bread pan the detective felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down and saw a little girl younger than Grace staring up at him.

"Can I help you?" Danny asked.

She held out a folded piece of paper to him.

"My mommy wanted me to give you this, but told me to check and make sure you weren't wearing a ring," she said.

The child quickly took hold of Danny's hands and examined them. Then to Danny and Grace's surprise she smelled them.

"My mommy and Kara's mommy keep giggling and telling one another that you look good enough to eat, but I'll tell her that you aren't made of candy or anything else."

The helpful little girl was talking loud enough for most of the class to hear including her own embarrassed mother. Danny's cheeks reddened and all he was able to do was stare down at the girl.

"Well. . .bye," she said turning and going back to her mother.

Danny turned to his daughter, bent down, and whispered in her ear.

"This doesn't leave this room. Understand? What happens at cooking class stays at cooking class. Except the food if it is edible when we finish."

Grace giggled and nodded her head.

At least on the plus side through out the entire class neither Grace or Danny started anything on fire. Nor did either lose a finger as they chopped vegetables for their salad. In fact the pumpkin bread they were making actually turned out to be pretty good even if there were a few flour lumps in various places.

Despite some embarrassment and awkwardness Danny couldn't help smile every time he looked in Grace's direction. She was having a great time. That made it all worth it.

Although he would have to inform the woman whose number he now had that he was indeed seeing someone.

_Hope you liked it and on a side note I have to agree with Danny that it is kind of weird to be learning how to make a salad at a cooking class, but my mind kept wandering back to the episode in season 1 where Danny brings a salad to work. The poor man had a Tupperware bowl filled with iceberg lettuce. Guess he didn't know that iceberg lettuce has the same nutritional value as a glass of water. Not to mention that he is going to be hungry again in ten minutes and will probably be grabbing for anything edible. Please review and tell me what you think._


End file.
